Spencer ‘rings the bell’ to mark cancer journey milestone

By: 
Jill Meier, Journal editor

Surrounded by his family, 10-year-old SpencerThorsland rang the bell last week outside the Sanford Castle, signifying the completion of 42 chemotherapy treatments.

Jill Meier/BV Journal

This is the card, designed by Performance Press, that adorned the cookie bags handed out at the celebration.

 

You couldn’t wipe the grin off of Spencer Thorsland’s face if you tried.

And no one at his milestone party last week did.

The Brandon 10-year-old was the guest of honor at a special celebration to mark the completion of 42 weeks of chemotherapy at the Sanford Castle in Sioux Falls.

“I can’t believe I actually made it here,” he said amid a crowd of family and friends on hand at the Castle, where they came to hear him “ring the bell.”

It was Aug. 21, 2020, when Thorsland endured surgery to biopsy a tumor that was tagged as stage 3 cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma. This form of cancer is rare type of sarcoma that affects more children than adults. It develops in the skeletal or voluntary muscles of the body and is most commonly found in the head and neck, but also occurs in the abdomen, which is where Thorsland’s pain derived.

Spencer described his near 11-month cancer journey as “kind of hard.”

“It’s just been hard at times, but you’ve just got to get over it, just do it,” he said in a “can-do” tone of voice. “Tell yourself, ‘You got this, you’re going to make it no matter what.’”

His mother, Lori Huml, described the celebration as a “milestone.”

“We’re at a point of victory, and there’s a plan, and it’s a good plan,” she said. “We’re not done but it feels like a big boost to go to the next step.”

That “next step” is also good news for Spencer.

“The doctor just called (July 2) and everyone on the Sanford team agrees that the spot in the lower abdomen is not residual disease and he will not have to do the extra 10 radiation treatments at the high dosage,” Lori informed.

Instead, he’ll endure 26 radiation treatments, a mix of 16 low-dose and 10 midrange doses starting next week, followed by chemo maintenance therapy. The maintenance plan will involve once-a-week chemo and medicine that he’ll receive at home, which is to prevent the cancer from returning.

Unfortunately, sarcoma can come back, so you about a five-year window where you’re really watching for recurrence of things,” Lori said, adding that Spencer will be monitored throughout his life due to the amount of radiation he receives.

As Spencer surveyed the crowd of family and friends, including teachers from the Brandon Valley School District, he had a single word to sum up their presence: “Amazing.” 

Although not solidified, Spencer hopes to attend school this year at Brandon Valley Intermediate School, where he will be a fifth-grader.

“I really hope so,” adds his mom. “Distance learning, it’s been hard and people who have done the COVID thing, know that, too. But the school has been phenomenal in supporting our family on this journey.”

The family is also grateful for the support they’ve received from the community and Lori’s employer, Pipestone Management.

“The community has been amazing, and my work, Pipestone Management, they’ve been amazing. It’s a family atmosphere,” she said.

No celebration should go without refreshments, and this celebration was no exception. The family handed out specially-designed cookie bags with a card – designed by Performance Press – to every party-goer. The card included a thank you from spencer and the poem, written by Irve Le Moyne, a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, who rang the first bell to signify the end of his cancer journey.

“It’s Navy tradition to ring a bell to signify when the job was done,’” Huml explained. “He brought a bell to his last treatment, rang it several times and left it as a donation.”

The poem, “Ringing Out,” is as follows: “Ring this bell, Three times well, It’s toil to clearly say, My treatment is done, This course is run, And I am on my way!”  

 

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The Brandon Valley Journal

 

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